Australian Reports of the Virus Spread

[henrus]

Rapid testing plan:

No joke an Australian company based in the best city in the Kingdom of Queensland... Brisbane! Yes I'm biased cause I live there but anyway this company created an at home test that connects via bluetooth to a smartphone and can provide results in ~15 minutes.

Ellume | COVID-19 Home Test

Ellume’s COVID-19 Home Test, is an over-the-counter, rapid self-test that detects SARS-CoV-2 antigen and provides results in 15 minutes.

www.ellumehealth.com

Now the company has published extensive testing of their product (the published papers you can see on the link above), with surprisingly accurate results. Unfortunately, the product hasn't been approved for use in Australia (or any country) outside of the US but it's just US$50 (AU$68) per test which includes the single-use testing device and that also includes a video chat to a person to verify identify/check test is being performed correctly.

Now before someone says "oh but $68 is expensive". Firstly I say think/look at the cost of the current NSW lockdown and also in NZ someone did their equivalent of a freedom of information to discover that the government was paying around ~AU$70 per PCR test.

All it would take is the AU govt to "emergency use approve" the product and in theory, it and a few other similar at-home tests could be rolled out within weeks (heck if they put their heads to it before the end of the week).

Then people could perform their own rapid tests in the comfort of their own homes and safely go out to work/school/shop without infecting others.

#rantover

 

[burmans]

$68 is cheap if you are only required to do this infrequently, it's not cheap if you have to do it daily or even every three days for poorly paid workers.

 

[bcworld]

This does not sound good at all.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1419934396702892037

https://twitter.com/x/status/1419939243271409664

 

[henrus]

$68 is cheap if you are only required to do this infrequently, it's not cheap if you have to do it daily or even every three days for poorly paid workers.

Yep but clearly the govt can subsidise these test. They're already paying over $70 per test for the 84,468 PCR tests performed, noting that $70 is the cost of processing the test and does not include testing infrastructure such venues/staff etc.

 

[I love to travel]

This does not sound good at all.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1419934396702892037

https://twitter.com/x/status/1419939243271409664

Did anything come of the TNT situation?

 

[henrus]

I'd say there are ~50,000 year 12 students (in the Sydney based on last years number) so the scale of rapid testing is going to be massive and also cost a fair amount.

 

[Port Power]

Over here in WA two unvaccinated hospital workers have been placed in hotel quarantine for 14 days after they unknowingly entered a lift that had been used to transport a critically ill COVID patient to ICU. Not together...on two separate occasions. Words fail me

Third WA hospital in staff virus breach

Two staff members at Perth's Fiona Stanley Hospital are in quarantine after inadvertently entering a lift used by a coronavirus-infected ship crew member.

thewest.com.au

Words that fail me is that these two health workers chose to not be vaccinated! Irresponsible.

 

[Pushka]

This does not sound good at all.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1419934396702892037

https://twitter.com/x/status/1419939243271409664

RPA is I think where the SA man developed Covid after hotel quarantine. Luck has been on our side.

 

[Princess Fiona]

Words that fail me is that these two health workers chose to not be vaccinated! Irresponsible.

There are multiple mandatory vaccinations for Category A (physical contact with patients) health care workers including all students.
It includes in NSW Hep B, Pertussis etc.
No jab, you can’t work there. No room for choices.


Other states will have similar.
It’s time for each State and Territory to add Covid to the list of mandatory vaccines.
In fact it’s well past time.

 

[drron]

Words that fail me is that these two health workers chose to not be vaccinated! Irresponsible.

I am not aware of HCW classification in WA but here in Tassie cleaners and the fellows that remove rubbish from the hospital are classified as HCW but not frontline so not in 1a.Several of them here had decided not to be vaccinated as they felt they weren't as much risk.When I arrived I was talking to a few as I get on very well with all the waste guys and cleaners on the ward I am assigned to.They really haven't had much education so I set out to let them in on a few facts.Most have now been vaccinated - they could get Pfizer through the hospital.A couple still not convinced.

The workers in WA were a technician and a cadet nurse so again probably not frontline HCW.The worry is the nurse but as a nurse in training probably not aware of the riskBut there are quite a few nurses that I talk to that are unfortunately under the spell of the antivaccers.They prove very hard to convince.

 

[MooTime]

These bloody anti vaxers, can we take away all the medical advantages away from them.
When they get sick, send them to a cave with a bone with a pat on the back & say Goodluck, catch you soon.

 

[antycbr]

These bloody anti vaxers, can we take away all the medical advantages away from them.
When they get sick, send them to a cave with a bone with a pat on the back & say Goodluck, catch you soon.

A more fiscal way to deal with this would be an increased Medicare Levy surcharge. We do it for those who don’t take out private health insurance over a certain income.

 

[andye]

There are multiple mandatory vaccinations for Category A (physical contact with patients) health care workers including all students.
It includes in NSW Hep B, Pertussis etc.
No jab, you can’t work there. No room for choices.


Other states will have similar.
It’s time for each State and Territory to add Covid to the list of mandatory vaccines.
In fact it’s well past time.

The front line nurses I know of have been either pregnant or trying

 

[Princess Fiona]

The front line nurses I know of have been either pregnant or trying

And that’s absolutely no reason not to be vaccinated.
Pregnant women now in 1B

 

[Princess Fiona]

Over here in WA two unvaccinated hospital workers have been placed in hotel quarantine for 14 days after they unknowingly entered a lift that had been used to transport a critically ill COVID patient to ICU. Not together...on two separate occasions. Words fail me

Third WA hospital in staff virus breach

Two staff members at Perth's Fiona Stanley Hospital are in quarantine after inadvertently entering a lift used by a coronavirus-infected ship crew member.

thewest.com.au

Given that WA Health seems to be treating SARS-CoV-2 like Ebola why on earth haven’t they made vaccination mandatory?

 

[Seat0B]

Man infected with COVID-19 who left locked-down Sydney for Queensland slapped with fine

A Sydney man is fined almost $10,000 for breaching Queensland health directives and verbally abusing staff while in hotel quarantine, and a flight attendant who collected him from northern New South Wales is also fined.

www.abc.net.au

QF Flight attendant with COVID and her fellow have both been fined by QLD police.

 

[drron]

Does the FA still have a job.iIwould assume on her first false reports the plane she was on would probably had a deep clean.Can't imagine QF Link would be happy with that.

 

[jase05]

13 new locations in the NB
Not being contained at all

COVID venue notifications - Northern Beaches Advocate

Thirteen COVID-19 venue notifications have been issued for the Northern Beaches.

www.northernbeachesadvocate.com.au

 

[lovetravellingoz]

13 new locations in the NB
Not being contained at all

COVID venue notifications - Northern Beaches Advocate

Thirteen COVID-19 venue notifications have been issued for the Northern Beaches.

www.northernbeachesadvocate.com.au

Yes virus still spreading.

However so far in the leaked changes to the lockdown to be announced today, the changes are all easings that will allow more mixing.

Hopefully in the non leaked changes there are also some measures that will reduce the amount of mixing.

If not, then seemingly Gladys is just going on the path of hoping that vaccinations will eventually lower the adverse outcomes of people becoming infected.

 

[MARTINE]

Man infected with COVID-19 who left locked-down Sydney for Queensland slapped with fine

A Sydney man is fined almost $10,000 for breaching Queensland health directives and verbally abusing staff while in hotel quarantine, and a flight attendant who collected him from northern New South Wales is also fined.

www.abc.net.au

QF Flight attendant with COVID and her fellow have both been fined by QLD police.

Hope he was worth it love…